


into the ground

by SaraJaye



Series: Corriander Week 2018 [4]
Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/M, Implied Relationships, Introspection, Invisible Kingdom | Revelation Route, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-25
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-08-07 06:34:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16403156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaraJaye/pseuds/SaraJaye
Summary: Valla is like nothing Xander has ever experienced before.





	into the ground

**Author's Note:**

> 4 - Valla

The moment they land, it feels as though they've been transported to another plane of existence. Not a comforting one like the Astral Plane, where Corrin's castle sits, but one of uncertainty and mystery. The air is different, somehow thicker, the landscape floats, and there's the constant feeling of being watched. The same feeling associated with Iago's presence, only it's everywhere.

He doesn't regret following Corrin into the canyon, because he knows this is the only way to end the threat to both Nohr and Hoshido. Azura explained everything, how Father is no longer Father but a puppet controlled by a mad god bent on destruction. It sickens Xander to think of, and despite his efforts to press on he can't stop thinking about it.

_I was foolish. I let my loyalty to Father blind me to his erratic behavior, took it for granted that he was simply bitter after Lady Arete's death. If I'd stopped to **think** about it..._

He doesn't know what would have changed, but he still wishes he'd acted sooner.

Corrin's presence is what keeps him from sliding too far into doubt and regret. She doesn't care that he took so long to listen to her, only that he's here now. She forgives his anger, says nothing of how he and his retainers tried to fight her at Cyrkensia. _We can't change the past, and I always believed you would come around,_ she tells him.

At night, when they cannot return to the Astral Castle and sleep in tents on the stable but suspect ground, she lies beside him, her body pressed against his side. Her hand seeking his, entwining their fingers together.

She's the anchor that keeps him grounded in this strange floating kingdom, the beacon of light through the fog of his doubts, and he knows that no matter where he is, he'll be safe as long as she's right by his side.


End file.
